Anxiety and depression - Causes, symptoms and precautions

What causes it?

The causes hiding behind anxiety and/or depressive pathologies are never traceable to concrete facts or data, but rather to very deep psychological motivations. Generally, the factors that predispose the individual to anxiety disorders are biological (genetic predisposition) and psychological (experiences and learned behaviours throughout one's lifetime).

What are the symptoms?

Anxiety symptoms, as earlier mentioned, originate from an activation of the sympathetic nervous system:

• Cardiovascular symptoms: tachycardia, palpitation, arrhythmia, chest pain or discomfort, hypertension or low blood pressure, fainting.
• Respiratory symptoms: throat-tightness, an impression of suffocation, asthma.
• Gastro-intestinal symptoms: nausea, gastritis, gastroesophogeal reflux, diarrhea.
• Neuromuscular syntoms: feeling of lurching, tremor, stiffness, sense of numbness and tingling, contractures, muscular tension, weakness and fatigue.
• Neurological symptoms: dizziness, tremor, hot flushes.
• Dermatological symptoms: urticaria, flushing and pallor of the face, excessive sweating
• Urinary symptoms: sudden pulse to urinate, increase of the urination frequency

As far as the symptoms of depression are concerned, thay can vary according to the seriousness and can be:

• Very low mood
• Anhedonia (inability of experiencing pleasure in many daily activities)
• Excessive worries
• Inappropriate guilt
• Hatred towards one's self
• Poor concentration and memory
• Becoming withdrawn
• Death and suicidal thoughts.

Measures useful

Several kinds of psychotherapy can be helpful in treating anxiety and depression; the cognitivebehavioural one reduces unpleasant symptoms and helps the individual to better deal with his negative and disfunctional thoughts, which are self-fuelling.

Following the "Decalogue of the good mood" can definetely be useful through the hardest times and, above all, can turn out to be a valid vademecum for those who suffer from such anxiety disorders and depression:

1. Pursue the contact with people belonging to your life
2. Express your emotions before a mirror
3. Fight against the logic of "having all and at once"
4. Practice sports
5. Spend time in the sunshine
6. Cook something tasty
7. Have a hobby
8. Adopt a pet
9. Do some good gardening
10. Help others